TheSultanahmet demonstrations (Turkish:Sultanahmet Mitingleri) were a series of rallies in 1919 held inIstanbul to protest the occupation of theOttoman Empire following theArmistice of Mudros, especially theoccupation of Izmir by Greek forces after theFirst World War. The largest of the demonstrations took place in the Sultanahmet neighborhood on 23 May 1919, with 200,000 people attending.
The first demonstration was organized in front of theSultan Ahmed Mosque inFatih, in March 1919 byİnâs Darülfünunu (Women's University) and theAssociation of Modern Women (Turkish:Asri Kadınlar Cemiyeti). On 19 May 1919, another protest was organized in Fatih by theTurkish Hearths and attended by 50,000. On 20 May and 22 May, demonstrations were held inÜsküdar andKadıköy respectively, organized by the Association of Modern Women.[1]
Many important figures of the Ottoman Empire participated, such asMehmet Emin Yurdakul,Halide Edib Adıvar,Hamdullah Suphi Tanrıöver,Rıza Nur,Selim Sırrı Tarcan,İsmayıl Hakkı Baltacıoğlu,Fahreddin Hayri Bey,Kemal Mithad,Şükûfe Nihal Başar, and Madam Jeannine (a French Lady), who all called resistance against the foreign invasion.
Halide Edip was a major speaker during the Sultanahmet demonstration on 23 May 1919, stating the following:
Muslims! Turks! The Turk and the Muslim are now experiencing their darkest day. Night, a dark night. But there is no night without morning in life. Tomorrow we will create a glittering morning, tearing this terrible night. Women! We have now no tools such as cannons, guns; but a greater and a stronger weapon, we have; Hak and Allah. Guns and cannons may be lost, but Hak and Allah are everlasting. We, with our men, ask for the strongest, most intelligent, most courageous cabinet from our own heart that will represent us the best.[2][3]
The demonstrations were symbolic for the national awakening forTurks to carry out theTurkish War of Independence. They were also key to the women's rights movement andfeminism in Turkey, as women's activism and greatly increased visibility during the War of Independence constituted a turning point, greatly contributing to the expansion of women's rights.[1]
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